What to Wear Across the World

Changing Geographical Locations . . . 

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What to Wear For Business Meetings

The scope of business operations has changed dramatically during the past several decades. Due to the emergence of globalization and the development of modern technologies it has become imperative to engage in new geographic locations and cultures. Employees are required to travel to foreign countries to conduct business. Given the chance would you accept an offer to travel to a foreign country for business? Being knowledgeable on the appropriate business attire in different cultures is a crucial element for achieving success.

While many cultures are relaxed when it comes to business attire, many foreign countries are not. Would you know what to wear to a business meeting in India, Japan, Italy, or Brazil? 

The majority of countries expect men and women to dress conservatively in dark coloured clothing.

In Asia, particularly in countries such as Japan, India, and China for example it is expected that women dress conservatively. This means high necklines, ankle length skirts, sleeves to the wrist, and overall little skin showing. Business attire should also be dark or neutral in color, and loose fitting. I bet you would not want to be wearing the bright red dress in China for example, that would be considered offensive. For men, a dark coloured pant suit is most often appropriate across cultures. Africa and the Middle east, go by these same standards for appropriate business attire. 

European countries, such as France and Italy, have expectations similar to those in North American countries. In these cultures you are expected to be classic and stylish. For women a classic dress or pant suit with a blouse is considered appropriate. For men, a dark coloured suit with a dress shirt and tie are common. It is important to make sure your shoes and boots are always clean and polished as well. 

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 You never really know what exactly is considered appropriate and respectful until you do the research. In general no matter what country you are in, it is most appropriate for men and women to wear a dark coloured, conservative suit. It is however still important to research the appropriate attire before traveling to different cultures for business.The following links: http://www.culturecrossing.net and http://www.worldbusinessculture.com are user friendly websites that are great for researching all you need to know when traveling for business. Using these websites you can find for example that in Brazil they pride themselves on dressing well. Therefore along with dark coloured suits, it is also important for women to have well manicured nails.  It is also not uncommon for men in executive positions to wear a three piece suit during meetings. 

Don't be the employee who fails to land the contract because they showed up in the wrong clothing and unknowingly disrespected a culture! 

Information for this blog taken from: http://www.culturecrossing.net